Wednesday, June 21, 2006

University of Phoenix and Wilkes University

Paranoid in Pennsylvania writes...

Right now I'm working on my Master of Arts in Education/Curriculum and Instruction at University of Phoenix Online. I was wondering 1. What you think of University of Phoenix's reputation, and 2. Do you think that getting a Master's degree in education as well as a creative writing degree from Wilkes University (low-residency program) will be respectable? In the end, I would like to get my PhD in literature, creative writing, or English, and then teach writing as well as write.

I'm worried that all of my degrees won't mean anything!

PiP, I honestly don't know. Does anyone have insights for us?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

My concern about getting a Master's in education from an online school is that they might not give you any actual teaching experience. Do they? Because that strikes me as the most important part of a MAT curriculum.

Anonymous said...

I couldn't advise you more strongly against an English Phd. There are thousands who have one from reputed institutions and cannot find a job. This is a well-known fact amongst those in academa. And with creative writing, you have to have published at least one book, of not two, to land a good offer.

Anonymous said...

If you want to teach writing in general at a university, get a PhD in rhetoric and composition (and don't do it online, because hiring committees that fill those positions don't consider online schools to be legitimate). If you want to teach creative writing at a university, get an MFA online or off and make sure you publish brilliant work in major venues before you go on the job market. The online MA in education that you're working on now prepares you to teach in a public middle school or high school -- maybe that's what you really want to do. Finally, I would echo what the last commenter said, which is exactly right: don't get a PhD in English, especially if you want to teach writing and write.

Anonymous said...

A Mester's in education will not help you get a job teaching college; it's for teaching K thru 12th.

Anonymous said...

I mean Master's, not Mester's.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for all the feedback, my biggest question though, is about Wilkes University. Has anyone here heard of their Masters in Creative Writing? Has anyone taken their classes? Did you enjoy the classes and the staff?

Thanks!

Unknown said...

Wow - talk about late to the party. Currently taking the MFA program at Wilkes, and recommend it highly. Great staff, very helpful, and you finish the program with a book and an opportunity to land an agent. What more could you want from an MFA program?

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